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MilesD

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  1. MilesD
    Hey Metro, Calibration will take of that, there are a few different ways to do it. I find the method in this video the most effective. At 3:46 is the part you are probably interested in.
  2. MilesD
    Hi Metro, That makes perfect sense. The factory calibration is for the Rift S. However it should be calibrated in the vertical for most HMDs. Is your HMS parallel to your line of sight or is it pointing up or down? Anyway, when you calibrate it will line everything up so the cursor is where you are pointing. Stop by the PointCTRL discord and we can walk through the calibration together on voice and a shared screen. Miles
  3. MilesD
    Update: All of the invoices have been sent out up to 110. If you haven't received yours, please let Carol know. The new now serving will be posted tomorrow. Thanks, Miles
  4. MilesD
    Hey Metro, your good, you have the new chargers that work opposite, I have to change the manual, There are updated notes in the discord channel. Important message for recent shipments From Discord Channel Point CTRL Procedures section Important Notice for last weeks shipment: I am switching from a duel plug parallel charger to 2 independent chargers. If you received 2 black chargers, the flashing red lights work differently and will turn on and flash when the battery is not connected, that is normal. New Black FCU Chargers Charger Plugged in, not connected to FCU = red light ON Charger Plugged in, connected to FCU and charging = red light OFF Charger Plugged in, connected to FCU and FCU is fully charged = red light ON I test all components in each kit before shipment, so the batteries may be fully charged.
  5. MilesD
    So cool, Your always a step ahead of me Fox, I love this place. Thank you so much for doing this for everyone, Miles,
  6. MilesD
    Damn, that long post and forgot to respond. Thought process enhanced by Pinot Noir, hence the blithering. Yea, FireCats back!!! I am actually taking Monday off from PointCTRL to work on my pit and fly again. Turning 55, My body feels 80, my brain still thinks were 20, I'll take it. If your around let me know? Yes, I love it. I was using silicone, copied from the PS3 move controllers for testing, just like your balls. I moved to 3d printing a replacement rear face-plate that is clear and has a curved outward bulge. The LED is just pushed backward into the case and the new face-plate is installed. I am not at that computer right now and I have to leave for NYC in the morning, but I will send you the step files for the rear face plate to mess with and share in the morning or when I get back. Your round balls will work better for extreme angles though. I think Chic was talking about using his thumb on top and his index finger sideways like he was grabbing a switch. Your balls may work for him. (as Archer would say "phrasing") but I am to tired to fix it. Hey BlacleyCole, Be sure to join the discord, and don't hesitate to ask for Help in the Help Channel, I usually sit in the voice chat channel when I am working or near a PC so you just have to yell my name and I will usually hear it and can come over and assist. Deano, Clutter, and others are usually their pretty quick to help if someone pops in on that channel. No worries, the Charge Monitor is not required, its just nice to have to monitor your battery charging process and the status and health of your batteries. Its really useful for many other things also, like to see how much your peripherals are drawing from your USB ports. I am happy you are enjoying PointCTRL, Miles
  7. MilesD
    This community is truly amazing, and I feel lucky to be part of it. I spent the better part of the last 18 months coding, designing PCBs, 3d modeling/printing, testing, refining, and starting the whole cycle again and again. This is due mainly because I am not a professional in any of these fields and not smart enough to realize that something may be beyond my skill sets. I just thought, wouldn't it be cool to point at these damn switches and make them move. How hard could it be? With your support and input, as well as FireCat's organizational skills, we got it 90% there, but the last 10% from this community is what will complete PointCTRL and make it 300% better. Whether it was Marinier and Hansang ironing out the wrinkles with me of the first few production units, to more recently, FoxDelta's Index Frunck mount or diffusers, (I didn't even realize I mentioned them in the thread, wish I did earlier), Shrike's new and better designed Pimax mount, Deano and Clutter's Help Desk Operations on the Discord channel they created and manage, FireCat's super queue, and everyones overwhelming support, I think PointCTRL may be around a little longer than I thought. I had originally intended PointCTRL as a interim device until CaptoGlove or SensoryX matured, and I still do to some extent. They have teams of professionals working on marketing, development, design and manufacturing, and then there is us. A retired Army guy, a supportive wife, and a whole diverse and talented DCS community willing to contribute their ideas, support, and knowledge. I may actually put my money on us. (Oh, I think I did. I am lucky to have the worlds easiest going and most supportive wife. Carol's only response to this idea was "oh, you need to spend $20,000.00 to make a toy pointer for you and your friends airplane games? What ever you want to do, Miles" I know this is long and there is probably nobody left reading it, but my point is, I am committed to this as long as you guys have an interest or something better comes along. I am starting to think something better may come from us also. Thanks again for all of your support. Miles
  8. MilesD
    Shipping Update I asked Carol to delay the invoices because I got caught up in some small PointCTRL improvements and would not be able to ship the current groups orders yet. I don't mean to turn this into the "2 weeks" meme. My goal to to have all orders ready to ship by Wednesday, which would mean invoices out on Sunday, as long as to get sidetracked again. Thanks, Miles
  9. MilesD
    FireCat!!!!!!!!, Good to hear from you my friend, Miles
  10. MilesD
    Last week was a tough one, we got a little behind, Carol should be sending out the invoices today, Thanks, Miles
  11. MilesD
    @Deano, Great informative and accurate write up Deano, and thanks for picking up my slack. I think this will help everyone out. Its a simple and effective improvement. The key to Deano's mod is his statement about "how you interact with the instrument panel 90% of the time " Everyone holds the FCU a little different, and using "Deano's Mod", which its now officially called:smilewink: can significantly improve the cursor resolution. Thats a good point aaron886, and your right, it will produce a slight lateral offset from your finger tip, but nothing that perceptible. What "Deano's Mod" ( I just like saying that ) is doing, is presenting the largest diameter blob of IR light for the sensor to track. Essentially it illuminates more pixels on the HMS. When more pixels are illuminated, the firmware uses interpolation to increase cursor precision. I have been working on a firmware solution, as well as a hardware drop in diffuser to illuminate more pixels. The IRLED is a sturdy thru hole component with long leads that is easy to adjust. Here a few pics Thanks Deano, Miles
  12. MilesD
    Shipping Status, All of last weeks orders are finally out and tracking is up. Sorry for the delay, its been one heck of week. This weeks invoices will go out on Thursday. I have a shipment of parts delayed, so there is a 1 week delay in announcing the next "Now Serving" group from FireCats list. I am going to take this time to automate a few more task to speed things up. Thanks you everyone for your patience and support, Miles
  13. MilesD
    I know I shipped a few Reverb Mounts, I never herd of any issues. Pimax Field of view is wider than Point CTRLs 113 degree horizontal FOV so you are limited to clicking in that area, but the reverb should be good. Reveb PointCTRL users out there...
  14. MilesD
    Shipping Delay Sorry guys, Friday and Saturdays shipments got delayed to yesterday, today and maybe a few tomorrow for personal reasons. Thanks for understanding, Miles
  15. MilesD
    I did spend a lot of time on the filtering like Deano said. I originally thought it was going to be a showstopper. The filtering algorithm is 100% effective except when you are pointing directly at the base station. If the FCU is directly in line with a base station, the filter can't separate the pulsing IR light from the FCU's IR LED. The result is a jittery cursor when you are pointing and looking directly at the base station. Both the original, and the 2.0 base stations are susceptible, however the 2.0 with the laser encoded position data, does not have that large IR LED array that increases the no go area. Re-positioning the base stations to avoid the accidental alignment of all three components when operating switches may be required. The greater the distance between the base station and the PointCTRL sensor also helps. The greater distance makes the base stations IR footprint smaller reducing the interference area. Any base station users with feedback would be welcome. As usual, Its a long winded answer. I guess its my old teaching style as an Instructor. I always wanting individuals to get the concepts over just remembering a fact or procedure, which are more perishable than conceptual understanding. Great question pgh2at, I hope that helps, Thanks Miles
  16. MilesD
    Now Serving 91 thru 110 That is all
  17. MilesD
    Like Clutter said, it goes there to time out so its not in the middle of the screen, However it should not be visible in VR. The next update, I will try positioning in a different location to ensure it is out of site. Its all about your perception and what feels right yo you. Its kind of the point (no pun intended) of PointCTRL to naturally reach out for a control and have the cursor be where you feel your hand is. I spend a lot of time demonstrating this here , I hope it helps I never could find a good answer on this. I had originally saw documentation stating the upper camera was for overhead tracking of the touch controllers only. I have since been unable to locate that again. I have tested blocked and unblocked quite a bit and did not notice any difference in tracking. While I hate to assume anything, but it's a reasonable, somewhat educated, but still meaningless guess that the upper camera is not used for head tracking, mainly because it would usually only see a featureless white ceiling without any unique pixels to track. But i'm still just guessing, If anyone else has more info or insight please share. In the future I will do a flat face mount that wont block the upper camera. Thanks Mr Mojo for the good actionable feedback and observations, its still a WIP, and it will get better. Miles
  18. MilesD
    That Sir, is a First Class Pit. Nice design and great execution. Miles,
  19. MilesD
    All of this weeks invoices have been sent out, or are awaiting clarification. If your number is under 90 and you didn't receive an invoice per your email order, please PM me or contact Carol at orders@pointctrl.com Thanks, Miles
  20. MilesD
    Invoices going out in the next few hours, No rush to pay, Units wont be shipping until Friday. Thanks, Miles
  21. MilesD
    Carols got you Metro, Invoice's go out today (Tuesdays) per new SOP. Thanks, Miles
  22. MilesD
    You are correct, I have completed the PointCTRL side of things but I still need the PC side and the programmable GUI for the keys. Unfortunately, I am running up to the memory and speed limits of the 32U4 micro-controller. Since the steam base stations are not being used by many VR users, I can make an option to remove all of the filtering code and save some space and increase performance. I may have to switch to a new micro controller for more features and Manufacturer HMD specific integration down the road. I will try and use the same form factor. That way current users can upgrade with just a board swap. Thanks for the question, Miles
  23. MilesD
    No please distract us, That is awesome!!! I like how you cut the seat, was it difficult with the Mustang seat? My Audi seat has the electric motors and mechanics for adjustment in the center so I'm going to have to get another one. This actually looks like a great setup for using PointCTRL. My old setup had flat panels on the sides, and I would rest my finger on it when pushing the buttons or throwing switches. It was steadier and added a bit more feedback. I hoping TribunDF shares his sim-pit that employs the latest in stealth technology. The pit only shows up as a nice piece of furniture on spousal radar. I, and I'm sure others, are interested to hear how he manages PointCTRL in a tight space. Just a FYI for numbers 71 thru 78. I had an extra kit from last weeks shipment and RogueSqdn was the first only and only respondent at that time, so we did a midnight invoice. All others are going out tomorrow. Thanks, Miles
  24. MilesD
    For those concerned about not getting your invoice right away. This is the order, invoice, and shipping schedule Carol and I are trying to keep to make things flow smother. 1) Thursday (2000 Zulu, +-5 hours) - Announce the Now Serving numbers 2) Tuesday (2000 Zulu, +-5 hours) - Send out all invoices for received emailed orders. 3) Thursday (1700 Zulu +-5 hours ) - Print postage for payments received. Prepare and box PointCTRL Kits, followed by step 1 for next weeks orders 4) Friday (1300 Zulu +- 4 hours) - Deliver orders to U.S. Post Office Carol's orders@pointctrl.com email is getting a lot of non-order emails, so we have to sort through them together. The invoices go out on Tuesday all at once. If by Wednesday morning you did not receive your invoice, please email her and she will send one. The goal is to ship on Fridays so we have time to fix things if you didn't get your invoice or have questions. Progress has been slow on the website, but we are looking at a way's to move this process there to simplify things a bit. Probably individual passwords sent when your number is up that allow you to order directly from the site. The waiting list will be there in the form of placing an order without payment and getting an email when your number is up and its time for payment. Thanks, Miles
  25. MilesD
    Managing a constantly changing list with over 200 calls signs in a specific order and you only miss one R. If I were trying to manage that list list, the torches and pitchforks would have been out months ago. I can't thank you enough FireCat, Miles
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